MariaDB - The Database Oracle Bought But Didn't Want

Oracle bought MySQL. Then they did what Oracle does - they strangled it. Closed the code, slowed development, made it enterprisey. But the original developer, Michael Widenius, had a plan. He forked MySQL before the sale was complete. Called it MariaDB. That's the database you should be using.

MySQL is dead. It's Oracle's product now. They will squeeze you for money and lock you in. MariaDB is the community-driven continuation that actually respects your freedom.

Installation

Install MariaDB. It's in most package managers:

# Debian/Ubuntu
apt install mariadb-server

# RHEL/CentOS
yum install mariadb-server

# Start it
systemctl start mariadb
systemctl enable mariadb

# Secure it
mysql_secure_installation

The Basics

Connect to your database. Try things. Break things. That's how you learn:

# Connect
mysql -u root -p

# Show databases
SHOW DATABASES;

# Create a database
CREATE DATABASE myapp;

# Use it
USE myapp;

# Create a table
CREATE TABLE users (
    id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
    username VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
    email VARCHAR(100),
    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);

# Insert data
INSERT INTO users (username, email) VALUES ('cjboon', 'cj@rebelwithlinux.com');

# Query it
SELECT * FROM users;

Users and Permissions

Never use root for your applications. Create users with only what they need:

# Create a user
CREATE USER 'appuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'strong_password_here';

# Grant permissions
GRANT SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE ON myapp.* TO 'appuser'@'localhost';

# Reload privileges
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

# Show grants
SHOW GRANTS FOR 'appuser'@'localhost';

Indexes: Speed Up Your Queries

Slow queries are the enemy. Add indexes:

# Add an index
CREATE INDEX idx_username ON users(username);

# Add composite index
CREATE INDEX idx_email_created ON users(email, created_at);

# Show indexes
SHOW INDEX FROM users;

Backups: Don't Be That Guy

You will lose data. It's not a question of if, but when. Be ready:

# Dump all databases
mysqldump -u root -p --all-databases > backup.sql

# Dump specific database
mysqldump -u root -p myapp > myapp_backup.sql

# Restore
mysql -u root -p myapp < myapp_backup.sql

# Point in time recovery needs binlogs - that's advanced stuff

Storage Engines

MariaDB gives you choices. Use them:

InnoDB - Default. ACID compliant. Use this for most things.
MyISAM - Legacy. Fast reads, slow writes. Good for read-heavy logs.
MariaDB ColumnStore - Analytics. Petabyte scale.
Aria - MariaDB's MyISAM replacement. Crash-safe.

The Point

MariaDB is MySQL done right. It's open. It's free. It's actually maintained by people who care, not by a corporation that sees you as a revenue source.

Your data is the most valuable thing you have. Don't store it in Oracle's prison. Use MariaDB.